Week 2 List-Handley chapter

Chapter 3 Research

Basic Technology Concepts and Definitions

Although this is not a class strictly about computers or technology, this class assumes a basic understanding of computer terms and concepts as well as basic knowledge of how to use applications.

Our class is conducted through the web, and many resources we will learn to use are web-based. So we will begin with some basic knowledge and definitions of the web, the internet, and how sources are organized on the Web. We then begin next week to use resources available through the web from our Library website, and other sites.

If you wish to review basic computer concepts: please refer to the the following

readings http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Introduction-to-

computers List-Handley, p. 26-46

http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/internet101/tp/Internet-Beginners-QuickReference-Guide.htm

In addition, please refer to the Glossary, linked to the left, and available as a .pdf, for technical terms. Refer to terms that are unfamiliar to you or that you would like to learn more about.

Be aware, some of the concepts below are not covered explicitly in the textbook. Consult the links above for additional information beyond what is covered here.

Internet and the World Wide Web

History of the Internet

The Internet began as a government network connecting researchers working for the

U.S. government. As it became obvious that the network could be useful to research, the National Science Foundation took over funding and support of the internet. See the link below for a history of the Internet:

< http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/brief.shtml>

Here is another fun site, the Computer History Museum, which gives a timeline of the development of the Internet:

< http://www.computerhistory.org/exhibits/internet_history/index.shtml>

Here is a diagram of the Internet, or ARPAnet, as it was called, circa 1983. Not a very large system in 1983! The nodes show the different universities and government institutions connected to the network:

* from www.computerhistory.org/exhibits

Today the NSF no longer funds the net [this stopped in 1994]; it is now self-sufficient and is actually a 'network of networks', with many providers. AOL, Earthlink, and other commercial ventures provide access to the Internet through their networks to subscribers.

Although the Web and the Internet seem synonymous, they are actually different. The Web is a part of the Internet. The Internet includes other technologies:

– Email

– Instant messaging

– File uploading and downloading

Want to see some more interesting facts about the Internet? Take a look at this website [one of

the best for general info about Internet usage]. This site provides some interesting statistics about Internet use worldwide. It may be no surprise that North America [comprising Canada and the US] feature the highest rate of Internet use. http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm

Content of the Web • Schools

– Most schools have their own websites

– Includes both verified information from experts and pages from students

• Companies

– Companies provide information about products and services over the web

– Useful for researching companies and industries

• Organizations

– Nonprofit organizations have a strong presence on the web. These sites are designed to assist their missions. Organizational sites often have an agenda, which should be kept in mind.

• Social networking

– Useful for researching facebook or social network users (public figures such as entertainers or politicians who have facebook pages for example) – Other sites include twitter (twitter.com) youtube.com

• Wikis

– Refers generally to sites which are collaborative, or can be altered or added to by users

– Wikipedia is the prime example of a wiki

• Individuals

- Individuals can have web pages, and post any content they wish - The blog is a common type of publication produced by individuals

Structure of the Web

The Web is composed of millions of websites.

URLs (uniform resource locators) indicate unique addresses of websites and pages.

Websites are connected by links from other pages

Webpage is somewhat misleading as webpages can be any length.

Main URL suffixes include:

• .com - Business and commercial websites

• .org - organizational and nonprofit websites

• .edu -educational institutions

• .gov -government agencies

• .net -internet service providers

Search engines and directories – which is which?

To find specific things on the web, you must search for them, or use a tool or website that has pre chosen links for users of the site. Examples of both kinds of tools are search engines and search directories. A search engine provides a program which scans web pages in it's system for the terms that you enter.

A web directory, or subject directory , [you will see these terms interchangeably] such as Yahoo organizes information more explicitly, providing websites organized by subject or topic.

Usually a web directory reviews and chooses websites, then organizes them by subject.

Some web [or subject] directories are listed here: <

http://www.sou.edu/library/searchtools/subjdir.html>

Some search engines are listed here :

< http://www.infopeople.org/search/chart.html>

Other Web directories: from p. 43, text:

www.about.com: articles written by human guides on a wide variety of topics.

www.ipl.org Internet Public Library, includes sites reviewed and chosen by librarians.

www.dmoz.org Open Directory Project, 4.5 million sites chosen and compiled by

volunteers

www.vlib.org sites compiled by volunteers who are experts in a wide range of areas

Browsing a web directory can be a good way to sample web sites on a topic. Searching through a search engine can provide a more systematic focused way to look for a topic.

In each case, the search engine, or the directory, can only access the web sites that are included in it's index. Even though google.com , considered the most well known of the general search engines, includes a lot of web sites, it does not provide access to all web sites.

There are no exact statistics on how many web pages Google indexes, to use them as an

example, but their stated goal is to index 100 billion websites [click here for the story]:

http://www.sitepronews.com/archives/2006/sep/20.html

Even this would not be a full cataloguing of all available and existing web sites; web sites appear, and disappear, daily, and no one search engine will ever fully be able to index all web sites.

Other technology features of the Web: Web Browser: the Web makes information available in a graphical format through a web browser. A web browser is software programmed to provide links to other sources on the web.

Hypertext Capability: the web has the capability to 'jump' from one page to another. You do this by clicking on links, on a page. Here, from the Library of Congress homepage, we see several links we could follow:

http://www.loc.gov/index.html

This technology allows users to follow pages in a nonlinear fashion. Whichever path we

take is nonlinear; there are several beginning links we could choose, and from there,

more links that we can take through the site in several different ways. We have several

options or ways to move through the site. Other I.T. Applications

Other types of I.T. applications include

word processing: one of the most commonly used I.T. applications. Programs such as Microsoft Word, Wordperfect, OpenOffice. Can type and manipulate text. The programs use spell checkers and graphic capabilities.

spreadsheet software: used to calculate numerical information. Programs such as Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice Calc. Can be used to calculate numbers, create spreadsheets, and present numerical data into charts and graphs.

presentation programs: incorporate text, graphics, and video into one presentation. Programs include Microsoft Powerpoint, OpenOffice. Used primarily to present information to groups, or bring together text, graphics, and other visual materials into one program.

Microsoft Office is a set of applications that provide a program for all three of these functions. OpenOffice.org is an open source set of programs that offer the same capabilities [it's free, with a set of programs similar to Office].

Another term you may see is productivity software; often businesses use this term as word processing and office software increases productivity for businesses:

http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci213024,00.html

Other programs include Wordperfect, and MicrosoftWorks. A basic knowledge of these applications can simplify your research process. You will need a basic knowledge of word processing as well as other I.T. applications to complete work for this class, as well as other courses in college.

Websites included above are compiled here: Development of the Internet, History of the Internet

Internet

Society-

History

< http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/brief.shtml>

Computer

History Museum

< http://www.computerhistory.org/exhibits/internet_history/index.shtml>

Search Engine and Subject Directory Guides

Subject Directories < http://www.sou.edu/library/searchtools/subjdir.html>

Web

Search

Engines

< http://www.infopeople.org/search/chart.html>

UC Berkely

Guides to

the Internet

< http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/SearchEngines.html>

< http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/SubjDirectories.html>

Google article <http://www.sitepronews.com/archives/2006/sep/20.html>

Other sites on electronic resources and technical definitions

ODLIS < http://lu.com/odlis/ > **appears to be down 2/4/09**

Library of

Congress < http://www.loc.gov/index.html>

OpenOffice < OpenOffice.org >

TechTarget http://whatis.techtarget.com/